The Forty Martyrs-March 10
How Blessed We Are!
RECEIVING THE WORD: HOW BLESSED WE ARE!
One of our great weaknesses as Christians is not appreciating the blessings that we have been given by God. This is the chief reason for our restlessness and dissatisfaction. We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ, but we do not marvel at that fact. Our Lord wanted to encourage a sense of conviction that His Disciples had lived at a time of extraordinary events in the history of the world.
EP 8 ARM CHAIR CONVERSATIONS OVER COFFEE: Why is the Holy Spirit excluded from Papal Elections in the Conciliar Church?
Why is the Holy Spirit excluded from Papal Elections in the Conciliar Church?
Clogged Ears And Tied Tongues
CLOGGED EARS AND TIED TONGUES
Having closed ears and blind eyes can’t please God. But that's the sinful condition we’re born into at birth. Thanks be to God that through Jesus and his cross He comes to heal you so you can now hear and speak to Him. Opening your ears, He’s awakened you and called you to Him under the cross where all your sins are forgiven.
The Kind Of Prayer God Delights In
The message in this Gospel reading is clear, The tax collector standing at the back of the Temple, who was humiliated in the eyes of the Pharisee was afraid even to lift his eyes towards Heaven; the only thing he knew to do was to humbly beg God’s forgiveness for his sins, which indeed were many. Jesus assures us that “this man went down to his house justified and righteous, rather than the other… for he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Does Jesus Weep Over You?
RECEIVING THE WORD: DOES JESUS WEEP OVER YOU?
Both Matthew and Luke tell us that sometime earlier Jesus looked down upon the city and had cried out, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem…how often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.” (Matthew 23:37; Luke 13:34) Do you hear those words? YOU WERE NOT WILLING.
And that brings us to today. Just like the people of Jerusalem, we find ourselves in the presence of Jesus. I wonder what He sees when He looks at us? Does He see people worried about many things? Does He see people who are so busy doing things here and there—so busy that they never bother to consider those things that are eternally important?
Or does He see people who recognize Him for who He is—the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God, our Savior. When He turns and looks into our lives, I wonder, will He weep once again because of what He sees? Or will we have the peace that passes all understanding as we respond to His outstretched arms and hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord”?
RECEIVING THE WORD: THE PARABLE OF THE LOVING FATHER
RECEIVING THE WORD: THE PARABLE OF THE LOVING FATHER
Jesus told three parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. The third parable is commonly known as the Parable of the Prodigal Son, but it might be more aptly called the Parable of the Loving Father. All three parables speak of the recovering of that which was lost, but the focus of the third parable is different than that of the first two. The focus of the third parable is on the actions of the father of the returning prodigal. For me, the most important aspect of this parable is what it tells us of our Heavenly Father’s reaction when any of us turns toward Him: He “runs” to embrace us.
RECEIVING THE WORD: A SERVANT TO SIN OR A SERVANT OF GOD?
RECEIVING THE WORD: A SERVANT TO SIN OR A SERVANT OF GOD?
The idea of one’s being a servant to a master is somewhat foreign to our thinking today. We sometimes compare it to the employer-employee relationship, but that does not do justice to the master-servant relationship. A servant is one who gives up himself wholly to another’s will. He is devoted to another to the disregard of his own interest. We are all servants. The question is what, or whom do we serve? Do we serve sin, or do we serve God?
Receiving the Word: Seeing The Needs Of Others
RECEIVING THE WORD: SEEING THE NEEDS OF OTHERS
It's not always easy to see the needs of other people. Sometimes we are too focused on our own problems to see when others are hurting. At times we lack awareness because our schedule is overloaded. The truth is, you were created to serve God by helping others. In doing so, you are fulfilling the law of Christ. But you can't help someone with their burden if you don't see it. If you care, you'll be aware.
The Righteousness That Goes Beyond
THE RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT GOES BEYOND- "Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven" (St. Matthew 5:20) You see, the Pharisees and the scribes knew the Law. They understood the Law. They followed the Law. Yet, they knew the Law so well they knew their ways around the Law as well. In other words, they knew the Law, yes, but they did not live faithful lives to God.
A FISHING STORY
RECEIVING THE WORD: A FISHING STORY-I want to share a fish story with you. And, you may think that this story, like so may other fish stories is based best in the exaggeration, but I promise you, this is a true story.
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